The present disclosure relates to subject matter contained in Japanese Patent applications No. 3-187112 (filed on Apr. 24, 1991) and No. 3-228165 (filed on May 31, 1991), which are expressly incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cover device used for an endoscope to prevent the endoscope from coming into direct contact with the patient's body during inspection of a hollow organ of the body.
It is necessary to prevent the contagion of bacteria and viruses from one patient to another, or from a patient to a doctor through an endoscope. It has recently been proposed to fit a cover device over an endoscope so as to prevent the patient and the doctor from direct contact with the endoscope during endoscopic inspection (endoscopy), and to replace the cover device with a new one for each endoscopy.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Such a cover device for an endoscope needs a sheath for covering the insert part of the endoscope and a cover for wrapping the control part of the endoscope. In a conventional cover device, a cylindrical cover for the control part is secured to the proximal end of the sheath, so that the cover device has an integral structure as a whole.
To remove such a conventional cover device from the endoscope, after the completion of an endoscopy, the sheath and the control part cover cannot be removed separately. Accordingly, it has been conventional practice to first remove the control part cover from the control part and turn it over toward the sheath, and then pull the sheath off the insert part of the endoscope, together with the control part cover that is turned thereover.
However, it is not easy to smoothly turn over the control part cover fitted over the control part of the endoscope, so that filth, such as mucus or blood, which is attached to the outer surface of the control part cover, may be scattered contaminating the surroundings during the operation of turning over the cover.
When pulled off the insert part of the endoscope, the sheath is accompanied by the control part cover, which is relatively large in size and unstable in form. Therefore, the insert part of the endoscope and the surroundings may be contaminated during the removal of the sheath.
In addition, an endoscopy, that is conducted with the cover device fitted over the endoscope, also needs to spurt air and water from the distal end portion of the endoscope, and to eliminate mucus and blood from a hollow organ of the patient's body by suction in the same way as in the case of the ordinary endoscopy. Accordingly, tubes for air and water supply and suction are needed.
Hitherto, such tubes are passed through the sheath and the control part cover. The channels of the tubes are opened and closed by control valves provided in the control part.
To remove such a cover device from the endoscope after the completion of an endoscopy, the tubes are disconnected from the control part after the control part cover has been removed from the control part.
In consequence, the tubes must be disconnected from the control part with the contaminated hands (gloves) that have touched the control part cover contaminated during the use. Thus, the contaminated hands must touch the control part during the disconnection of the tubes, resulting in contamination of the control part.